Did You Hear What Seth Godin Said ???

 I read a lot. In fact, I frequently read two hours every night before I go to sleep. That doesn't include my weekend reading.

Not too long ago, I was reading Seth Godin's book,

This is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See.

Seth starts the book with these words,

Marketing is all around us. From your very first memories to the moment before you opened this book, you’ve been inundated by marketing. 

You learned to read from the logos on the side of the road, and you spend your time and your money in response to what marketers have paid to put in front of you. 

Marketing, more than a lake or a forest, is the landscape of our modern lives. 

Because marketing has been done to us for so long, we take it for granted. 

Like the fish who doesn’t understand water, we fail to see what’s actually happening, and don’t notice how it’s changing us.

Seth's "Marketing is all around us" statement was life-altering for me for it encapsulated so of much of my life's experience.

It helps to explain why when I shop near brooms at Walmart, all of a sudden, I start singing, "O cedar makes your life easier."

And when I think of McDonalds, I still catch myself singing, "Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun," even though the song came out 51 years ago.

Still, I remember overhearing my family watching the 'Dinah Shore' show. In every episode, Dinah sang, "See the USA in your Chevrolet."

A co-worker of mine paid off their mortgage and a co-worker took issue with that. What surprised me was her words, namely that investing in stocks was wiser than paying off your mortgage, were almost verbatim excerpts from a large brokerage firm's advertising campaign.

We've all heard many people state that if you repeat something enough times, people will take it as the God's honest truth.

While 66 years on this planet have made me aware of what is happening; what is really going on. I believe many others do not understanding this phenomenon.

We know that pharmaceutical firms are required by law to disclose the risks associated with their products. I also know that Car Leasing firms are "required to clearly and conspicuously disclose specific information in their advertisements under the Consumer Leasing Act." 

Except for the two exceptions above, most people do not realize that an advertisement is under no obligation to disclose the risks or downsides associate with purchasing their products.

Therefore, they believe they are fully informed before making their purchase, when in reality they are anything but fully informed.

I hope you found this article enlightening.

 

Business Owner, Do You Need a Secret Shopper ???

Do You Need a Secret Shopper ???

Most business owners probably think, "the last thing I need is another expense."

We used to go to church with someone who was a secret shopper. It was easy to see why people would hire he. She would visit stores to see how the product was displayed; to see if the store was clean and to see if the clerk was courteous.

I've experienced many businesses who could really use a secret shopper.  For example,

I lived in Pennsylvania for 17 years. There was a famous hotdog chain which I had never visited. One day when I was running errands, I drove past one of their hotdog restaurants and figured I should try it out.

When I walked in I heard the young cashier say to the other, "I’m gonna take this customer and then take lunch." I had no idea what I wanted so I wasn't able to give him my order.  What made things worse was the look on his face as he grew more and more impatient and irritated. It didn't help that I was the only thing standing between him and his break. I just turned around and never went back to that restaurant.

Our dog has always been very important to us. Hence, her groomer has also been very important. Unfortunately, the shopping center where the local groomer worked was bring closed and our groomer was relocating to another store 20 minutes away. Since we liked the groomer we figured we’d go see her. Well, it was a rainy day and therefore not the nicest day to be out. My wife had left early since we didn't know exactly how much time it would take to get there. When my wife arrived the first thing the receptionist said was, "You’re early". Well, it was hard enough to get there without hearing that. Do you think we ever went back? 

When I was in between jobs. I had my choice of recruiters to reach out to; recruiters who obviously would've earned a commission if they placed me in a role. When I went to one recruiter the receptionist was rude. I don’t remember exactly what she did, but she made me not wanna deal with them. She never should have been in a people facing role.

Another time I was driving with the kids when we decided we wanted donuts. We drove into the drive - thru and announced we were ready to give our order. We heard nothing. After asking one more time we decided we should drive around to see what was going on. No one was manning the window either. When we drove a little further, we saw four employees sitting on tables looking at their phones. We quickly left.

The problem is businesses don’t know about these things. They monitor call center conversations but they never take time to monitor what walk-in customers are experiencing. If they did, they wouldn't lose so many customers and they'd have more successful businesses.

Other People's Opinions...

 Sooner or later we all confront other people's opinions...

When confronted, remember what my 58 years have taught me...

Not everyone will appreciate you and everything you have to offer.

Many people believe,

'If you don't live life as I do, something is the matter with you.'

We know they couldn't be more wrong.

While we wait for them to figure that out, don't let these people bother you.

Move on and...

Seek out those wise enough to truly appreciate you and all you have to offer.

Remembering, just because,

Some people don't believe in you, is no reason not to pursue your wildest dreams.

After all,

Their beliefs are just opinions, not facts.

~ Clark Finnical

Do you really need to do that?

I turned 65 recently and my wife and I had a heart to heart.

We both know I'm not going to work forever.

We both know we need to think about how much money we'll have when I stop working when I turn 70 and what I can do to maximize that.

Once we created this goal, this objective, this life clarifying decision, all of a sudden things became clearer.

I found a couple quotes that helped me make better decisions:

If you don't separate yourself from your distractions, Your distractions will separate you from your goals and the life you want. ~ Louisa Alcott

 Always ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.  ~ Coelho

So since my objective was to work till I'm 70 my thought was, 'OK I've got to do the absolute best job I can do so that I'll remain employed. All of a sudden a lot of things started coming up to mind.

One of the great things about this kind of thinking is now I had a crystal clear measuring stick to determine if I should be doing something or not.

All of a sudden, I realized,

> I better go to bed at 8 every night and since I like to read before closing my eyes, I better set a timer for 60 minutes so I don't shortchange myself from the sleep I need to have a productive day.

> That Instagram account is not that important and I don't need to be so active on LinkedIn. 

> As much as I care about my local town council, sometimes I've got to realize I cannot do everything.

Nor do I need clutter my mind with things, like 

> Why that local restaurant closed and reopened. 

> Politics. I voted and mailed some post cards but that's all I can do. This year they voted out the guys in power and four years from now the same pattern will probably repeat itself. 

> Listening to endless TV and spending more than 30 minutes on Facebook.

How about you? Do you have a goal that is so important its worth stopping other things so you can actually achieve that goal?  

The only way you can answer that question is by deciding how important that one thing is. 

I hope you found this article enlightening, invigorating and clarifying.

Six Reasons You Don't Know What You're Talking About

1.) People Assume Things Will Never Change

When I was 11 my teacher said, 'the Delaware river is so polluted it won't be long before we can walk across it.'

My teacher assumed that nothing would be done about pollution, things would just continue as they always had. 

My teacher did not take into account the growing public concern about pollution that resulted in the creation of the the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the enforcement of new laws to protect the environment. 

2.) People Do Not Consider All of the Potential Reasons Something Happened

When my mother heard of a burglary conducted in total darkness she said it took night vision goggles so soldiers must have done it.

My mom assumed that members of the military were the only ones with access to night vision

goggles. 

First, employees at the factory which manufactured the goggles had access.

Second, most military bases employ civilians who also have had access.

Third, both of these groups could sell these goggles to a pawn shop, who can sell the night vision equipment to anyone who walks in the door.

3.) People Assume Others Remember Everything They Ever Said

I once had a boss who questioned some of my processes. I explained that I was following the Vice President's orders; When she spoke to the VP, he denied he ever said that.

She assumed the VP remembered what he said three years ago. 

Since I received these directions three years earlier, I researched memory and retention and then met with my boss and her boss. 

I shared a Harvard Business Review article which explained in no uncertain terms that there is no way the VP could remember what he said three years ago. 

4.) People Assume If Things Should Happen They Will Happen

I recently went to a hospital and had a procedure. Prior to my hospital visit, I had to restrict my drinking.

My wife assumed the doctor's directions said exactly when I had to stop drinking. I said the doctor's directions did not provide a time. She said, that is not possible. I shared the directions and she saw how possible it was.

We all believe things should happen in a certain way, but things are never that way 100% of the time.

5.) People Assume If They Haven't Heard Otherwise, It must Be True

Job loss is hard for anyone. Too often we feel like we're the only one who is unemployed.

We make this assumption because we have no information telling us otherwise. While these feelings are understandable, they're not based on facts.

A quick trip to The Bureau of Labor and Statistics  reveals that, on average,  6 - 8 million Americans lose their job every quarter. The good news is a slightly higher number of Americans get new jobs each quarter. 

6.) People Assume One Person Knows All There is to Know About an Organization

When I was in college, I attended an extracurricular activity which promised to help me relax. The instructor said he was associated with the local hospital.

A fellow student called the hospital and asked the person he spoke with if she knew the instructor. 

Because that person didn't know the instructor, he assumed that the instructor had nothing to do with the hospital.

My friend assumed that the person who answered the phone knew about everyone who ever had anything to do with the hospital.

I have to admit, one of my favorite pastimes is examining the assumptions underlying everything I hear. Before you think I'm strange, consider every vignette you just read.

We all make assumption based on incomplete or faulty information.

My teacher assumed things would never change.

My mother assumed only one group would have access to special equipment.

My boss assumed someone would remember exactly what he said three years ago.

My wife assumed if something should happen it will happen. 

We assume if we haven't heard otherwise, then it must be true.

My friend assumed one person knew everyone who ever had anything to do with a hospital.

I hope you found this article of value and in the future you won't be quick to accept everything you hear.

Clark has had 65 years to learn a few things. During that time he also wrote

Job Hunting Secrets (from someone who's been there) and 

LinkedIn Strategies to Take Your Career to the Next Level

First Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Second Photo by OSPAN ALI  on Unsplash

Vernon Can Read...

 This is a book about one of the greatest humans I've ever known.

I probably chose to read it, because I've seen Vernon in the news throughout my life.

He never sought the limelight but he was a very capable man. Perhaps, I could relate to him.

He did amazing things for the oppressed.

His life in so many ways is best summarized by the many roles he performed:

• Chauffeur whose employer was surprised he could read
• Head of the United Negro College Fund
• Head of the NAACP
• Shot by a racist when he was seen with a white woman
• On the board of directors of many major corporations
• Advisor to President Clinton
• Partner at Lazard Freres, a large investment banking firm.

His mother, a very intelligent and very supportive woman, ran a catering business in Atlanta until she was 83. When he was younger, he frequently worked for her as a server.

More could certain be written about this wonderful book, but I wanted to capture my observations while the book was still fresh in my mind.

Vernon Can Read

Does Network News Really Explain the Full Story?

If you're like many people your knowledge is limited to the nightly news. 

While I enjoy watching NBC's Nightly News I've come to understand it's limits.

First, NBC is owned by Comcast, ABC is owned by Disney and CBS is owned by Paramount Global. The stockholders of these firms bought stock because they expect to profit from their investment. As a result, stories are created to attract and maintain your interest so you're still watching when the commercials come on. 

Second, Fear is a large part of many news stories. Author James Altucher, in his book, I Was Blind But Now I See, suggests that, the best thing you can do is avoid all news. Altucher has worked for over a dozen media companies, written for newspapers, TV shows and been a pundit on TV shows.

He told how he was backstage at a news show when the producer told him:

Don’t fool yourself – all of this is just filler in between advertisements.

Altucher shared this story,

Every week, a newsroom gets all of their best reporters and editors together on a Monday morning. Then the top guy says,“Ok, what have you got?” And the reporters have to respond with items that are designed to induce more and more terror. When the top guy thinks the terror is sufficient to beat out the competition, he says, “Ok, let’s go with it.”(I)

It's easy to see what Altucher is talking about when you read headlines like these:

How many jobs will AI replace?

Will your kids join the thousands who've died from fentanyl? 

Is your daughter joining ISIS?

Third, time is another issue. Since news shows are limited in the time they can devote to any story, we're frequently given sound bites that grab our attention but do little to explain what really happened. The Great Recession generated a lot of headlines, but it wasn't until I read former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's book, Stress Test, that I fully understood what happened.

***

Personal Note:  Da Vinci said, "The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding." I'm right there with him. I'm what you'd call a Current Events / History Nerd. I've always sought the full story. I've always sought to understand complex issues. This has helped me to understand what isn't being reported in the nightly news.

(I) Altucher, James. I Was Blind But Now I See. New York: CreateSpace. 2011. p. 35